In formwork construction and especially when forming ceilings it is necessary for ceiling formworks to be supported in relation to the levels underneath them, such as the ground, the floor slab or the floor disposed underneath them. An established procedure for this is the arrangement of props between the level and the ceiling formworks supported directly or indirectly (for example by means of intermediate beams) on the props. These props together form the support structure supporting the ceiling formworks.
Various devices are known in order to prevent these props, which support the ceiling formworks directly or indirectly during assembly, use and stripping, from collapsing, tilting or even buckling.
Supporting legs, for example, which are usually folding tripods, are used as erection aids for the props and serve to prevent the props and/or the entire formworks from collapsing when stripping the ceiling.
In some countries, especially the USA, it is also stipulated that the horizontal forces arising due to the erection and stripping of a ceiling formworks must be dissipated by the support structure supporting said ceiling formworks.
A conventional possibility of bracing the support structure made up of props is the introduction of cross braces between the individual props in order to creating a bracing structure. In this case, two adjacent props are each joined together by way of cross braces and are secured against moving or collapsing by the resulting bracing structures. The erection of such a support structure is labor-intensive as a large number of cross braces have to be fitted in.
A further possibility for bracing support structures created from props is the use of bracing frames which are used in each case to connect two adjacent props. WO 2005/090710 A1 discloses such a bracing frame.
The construction of prop rows with supporting frames, which are linked together by way of cross braces, is known from FR 2693498 A1.
DE 36 41 349 C5 pertains to a construction prop which can be joined with frame-shaped supplementary braces. The supplementary braces can have two vertical rails, to which props abut. The attachment can be carried out by clamp screws.
A support structure with cross beams is known from EP 0 252 748 A2, which can be attached to a prop by screws extending perpendicular hereto and by a divided fastener having projections. The prop comprises undercuts for this.
In the known bracing frames the props are accommodated in clamps (scaffold couplers) or other seating elements which are open towards the side.
The known bracing frames, therefore, have the disadvantage that either they can only accommodate one single type of prop or, on accommodating props of different origin and varying diameters, the relative positions of the individual bracing frames disposed parallel to each other, and thus also the gaps to be bridged via the cross braces, vary. Furthermore, it is necessary to align the props very precisely and simultaneously so that the bracing frames can be brought into position without difficulty. This leads to a relatively time-consuming erection of the support structure for the ceiling formworks structure.